Government Inquiry into Rogue Landlords

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Substandard Homes:

Following the prime minister’s speech at the Conservative Party conference, when she promised to look into tenancy problems, an inquiry has been launched by Clive Betts MP into local authorities’ powers to tackle landlords renting out substandard or even dangerous homes.

A CLG Select Committee is investigating whether councils have adequate powers to tackle criminal activity by a minority of landlords, and to find any barriers to councils’ intervention in the private rented sector. Also, they want to find whether landlord licensing schemes are working and the effectiveness of current complaint mechanisms for tenants.

Announcing the inquiry, Clive Betts MP, Chair of the Communities and Local Government Committee, said:

“With a big rise in the number of people renting over the last decade, there are real concerns about the ability of local authorities to protect tenants by tackling bad landlords and practices.

“Our inquiry will examine how local authorities can carry out enforcement work to deal with rogue landlords as well as looking at approaches used by councils to provide private rented accommodation in their areas.”

The RLA says it has long campaigned for better enforcement rather than more regulation – and believes licensing does not work when it comes to rooting out the criminals.

Chairman Alan Ward said:

“I have been urging councils to kick the crooks out of renting for many years and this announcement comes as welcome news.

“Councils’ decisions will always depend on the political will to take action against the shadowy end of the rental market, those who will never subscribe to licensing or registration schemes.”

The Committee is inviting written evidence in relation to the following questions:

• Do local authorities have the powers and capacity required to enforce standards in the private rented sector and deal with ‘rogue landlords’?
• What are the main obstacles to effective intervention in the private rented sector?
• How effective are landlord licensing schemes in promoting higher quality accommodation?
• What approaches have local authorities taken to promote affordable private rented sector accommodation in their areas?
• How effective are complaint mechanisms for tenants in the private rented sector?

The RLA has said it will be providing a written submission (available on their website) ahead of the 24th November deadline and it has offered to provide oral evidence to the committee.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Government Inquiry into Rogue Landlords | LandlordZONE.

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Total Landlord Insurance wins “Best Landlord Insurance Provider”

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Landlord Insurance:

Hamilton Fraser Total Landlord Insurance has won ‘Best Landlord Insurance Provider’ at the Insurance Choice Awards against some of their largest industry competitors, including Direct Line for Business and Simple Landlords Insurance.

The Insurance Choice Awards help consumers to find the best possible insurance products and providers on the market and is the only independent insurance awards voted for by UK customers. Companies must receive a minimum of 100 reviews during the voting period to be eligible and the highest-rated firm in each-product category wins.

Winners of the 16 product specific awards and 7 top level awards were announced at The Insurance Choice Awards held on Thursday 12^th October at The Lansdowne Club, Mayfair.

As part of Hamilton Fraser, also parent company to leading industry services such as mydeposits, the Property Redress Scheme, Client Money Protect and Landlord Action, Total Landlord Insurance has an unrivalled understanding of the buy-to-let industry, enabling them to offer landlords the best advice on protecting their investment.

Some of the reviews left by Total Landlord Insurance customers, which contributed to their success, described them as “one of a kind”, going “above and beyond to do their best to get you the cheapest quote” and offering “practical advice for landlords, and updates on relevant legal matters. Excellent.”

Having previously been awarded the prestigious Investor in Customers (IIC) award, Total Landlord Insurance is regularly praised for its exceptional customer service, particularly through their “same name claim handler” operation. Recent claims feedback questionnaires (received between 03/04/17 and 31/07/17) revealed that 91% of customers would recommend Total Landlord Insurance.

Eddie Hooker, CEO of Hamilton Fraser Total Landlord Insurance says: “It goes without saying that I am absolutely delighted to have achieved this accolade.  This is not only recognition of the quality of service we are providing, but also that customers value the additional work we put into providing reliable support and accurate advice. Now more than ever landlords need guidance so protection and raising standards is of greatest importance to us.  Thank you to all our valued customers who took the time to write a review.”

All reviews written by Total Landlord Insurance customers can be viewed here

Based in Borehamwood, Hamilton Fraser, (parent company to Total Landlord Insurance, mydeposits, Property Redress Scheme, CMP and Landlord Action) provides specialist insurance and ancillary services for the private rented sector.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Total Landlord Insurance wins “Best Landlord Insurance Provider” | LandlordZONE.

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Council tenant received 200 hour work order for subletting

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Subletting a private landlord’s property without permission is breaking the tenancy contract and permits action to evict the tenant. However, if a tenant sublets a council owned property without permission then this is actually a criminal offence.

Suzie Litanda recently pleaded guilty at Highbury Corner Magistrates Court to twice subletting her council flat between December 2013 and September 2016.

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Directors of block sell assets to themselves undervalue and evade fair share of annual service charge!

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I have an unusual situation which I wonder if any anyone else on Property 118 has previous experience of or has advice on?

I own a two bedroom mansion flat in West London which I bought nearly twenty years ago

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HMO crackdown for bath landlords

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Landlords fined:

Two Bath landlords have received heavy fines totalling £16,000 for failing to hold HMO licences.

Although the landlords held the correct licenses for the Additional Licensing Area in which the properties reside, these were not the appropriate licences for an HMO property, and their houses did not meet the HMO safety requirements, hence the heavy fines.

Elizabeth Vowles, 48, and Hayley Book, 55, from Weston-super-Mare appeared at Bath Magistrates’ Court on Thursday, September 28.

One property was a three-storey HMO shared by four tenants. This property failed to meet the HMO Licensing Standards due to locks on doors, lack of fire alarms and a fire door in disrepair. The other property was a two-storey HMO shared by three tenants and failed to meet the HMO Licensing Standards due to locks on doors and poor maintenance of the garden.

The pair pleaded guilty to the offence under the Housing Act 2004 when the court heard that Vowles  and Book were caught operating two HMOs in the Additional Licensing Area without a licence in January 2017.

Additional licensing was introduced in certain areas in Bath by Bath and North East Somerset Council in 2014 to tackle issues of poor management in small HMOs, those with up to three tenants in them, that do not need a full HMO license.

The landlords had another HMO in the Additional Licensing Area, so should have been aware of the correct licences needed.

The court sentenced Vowles and Book both to a £8,000 fine (£4,000 for each property) and ordered them to each to pay prosecution costs of £550 and a victim surcharge of £170.

Councillor Paul Myers (Con, Midsomer Norton Redfield), cabinet member for economic & community regeneration, said:

“Our Housing Services will try to work in partnership with landlords to improve housing standards wherever possible.

“Additional licensing helps to ensure that occupants of HMOs are able to live in safe and well managed properties. Where landlords fail to licence their properties such as the case here, they are undermining the objectives of the additional licensing scheme.”

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – HMO crackdown for bath landlords | LandlordZONE.

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Newcastle Landlords’ Conference

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Landlords & Agents:

The next Newcastle Landlords’ Conference will be held on Wednesday 21st March 2018 at the Newcastle Falcons Conference Centre.

The theme of the event will be ‘Getting business ready; Keeping on top’ and confirmed speakers so far include David Cox, Managing Director of the Association and Residential Letting Agents and Richard Lambert, Chief Executive Officer of the National Landlord Association.

Additional expert speakers will be added over the forthcoming months which will create a bumper packed agenda and making this the mustn’t miss event of the year.

Although the event is being held in Newcastle we collaborate with other local authorities, landlords and agents attending who have portfolios that span both the North East and the rest of the UK.  This makes our event an excellent opportunity for any business that provides goods and services to the lettings market a chance to expand their client base, improve business networks and meet new customers.

If you are interested in taking part in the event please complete the attached booking form or contact me directly if you would like further information.

Newcastle Landlord Conference 2018

‘Getting business ready; Keeping on top’

Wednesday 21 st March 2018

Newcastle Falcons Conference Centre

Emma Knowles, Housing Project Officer, Newcastle City Council, 0191 2771438

www.newcastle.gov.uk    www.privaterentedservice.co.uk

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Newcastle Landlords’ Conference | LandlordZONE.

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Inquiry into whether councils have adequate powers to tackle ‘rogue landlords’

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The Communities and Local Government Committee has this week launched an inquiry into whether councils have adequate powers to tackle ‘rogue landlords’.

The brief of the inquiry into the Private Rental Sector (PRS) is detailed the committee below:

• To examine the role of local authorities in the PRS focusing on the provision by councils of private rented accommodation and whether they have sufficient powers to deal with bad practices.

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Rental Demand in Central London Outstrips supply

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Central London Rents:

Average rental values in prime central London dipped just 0.1% in the three months to September, and average rents were down 3% year-on-year, representing the slowest declines in almost two years, that’s according to the latest Knight Frank PRIME CENTRAL LONDON RENTAL INDEX.

Higher supply in the rental market had been due to pricing uncertainty in the sales market after the stamp duty tax hikes, meaning more owners decided to let rather than sell. However, this trend, it appears, is now reversing.

“While the availability of lettings properties has become more muted, demand is rising, which is also boosting rental values. The number of new prospective tenants registering in the first eight months of this year increased 19.6% and viewing levels were 25% higher than last year.

“There is no sign that recent tax changes for landlords have exacerbated the trend for declining levels of new stock in any material way by prompting landlords to sell.

“Recent tax changes include the reduction of tax relief on mortgage interest, the loss of the wear-and-tear allowance and a 3% stamp duty levy for buy-to-let investors,” says the report.

The main points of the report:

• Average rental values fell 3% in the year to September 2017, the smallest decline since June 2016
• The number of new lettings properties on the market between January and August 2017 increased 2.2%
• The number of new prospective tenants increased 19.6% between January and August versus 2016
• There was a 9.8% increase in the number of landlords re-letting their property in the year to August 2017
• The average prime gross yield in September was 3.2%

So, despite the drop in the number of buy-to-let mortgages taken out after the 3% stamp duty was introduced in April last year, the Knight Frank data shows there was a 9.8% rise in the number of landlords who re-let their property in prime central London in the year to August 2017.

This trend clearly underlines the fact there has been no large-scale exit from the buy-to-let sector in central London.

©1999 – Present | Parkmatic Publications Ltd. All rights reserved | LandlordZONE® – Rental Demand in Central London Outstrips supply | LandlordZONE.

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Confusion about Stamp Duty

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We are in the process of downsizing, selling our principle residence and buying a smaller one . We will have to sell before we buy so there is no question of us owning two houses at the same time .

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Luxury Retirement Home Investment in Cornwall

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Located in a county with one of the highest percentage of over 65s. This luxury retirement home investment in St Austell attracts self-paying residents which are shown to be the most profitable.

A 10% net rental income is guaranteed for ten years with a buy back option in year 10 for 125%.

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